Our Continuing Vision for Grow Community

It seems just a short time ago that we looked around ourselves, and began to think, really think, about the way we live and the way we want to live, we found that there are many things still to be done. Wouldn’t it be nice to have solar panels on the roof? Wouldn’t it be great if the kids could safely walk to school? And the library? And the ice cream store? What if we had more time to garden, and wouldn’t it be nice to know the neighbors?

So we began to ask our friends, if you could describe the perfect neighborhood, what would it look like? And we found so many answers. So we set out to create a new kind of place to live. For ourselves and for others.

Over the last couple of years, we have fulfilled the first part of a vision of a connected urban community, where people of all generations and a diversity of economic means can live mindful of their impact on the planet, in a neighborhood where environmental, economic and social sustainability are equally valued and where all people can focus on creating abundance, in their relationships to others, to nature and to the community.

But our vision is not complete. There is still so much to do, so much we have learned and still so much possibility. As we embark on the next chapter in the Grow Community story, we will refine our approach to the design of the neighborhoods. The majority of these new homes will be accessible and feature single level living that will encourage intergenerational living.

We will pursue ways to allow aging in place which will allow residents to live longer in their own community rather face a move to a foreign environment at a time in their lives that should be cherished not dreaded. And of course we will continue our vision around net-zero energy homes, smart transportation options, reducing water use, increasing local food consumption and designing the community center to be that welcoming ‘third place’ where neighbors gather and connect.

Please join us in continuing to shape this community, with your ideas, your vision, your enthusiasm. It takes a village – and we’re growing one.

ABOUT GROW COMMUNITY

Grow Community is a new urban One Planet neighborhood on Bainbridge Island, just a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. With beautifully designed solar-powered homes, shared community gardens and clean transportation options, Grow allows all generations to enjoy a high-quality and healthy lifestyle.